FREDERICKTOWN -- The Fredericktown Freddies used their stifling defensive pressure to shut down the Johnstown Johnnies' offense in the second half, and closed with a 43-29 Mid-Buckeye Conference victory Tuesday at Fredericktown High School.
Fredericktown (7-2, 5-1 MBC) held a one-point lead, 18-17, at halftime, but held Johnstown (6-3, 4-2) to just 12 points in the second half on 4-of-24 (17 percent) shooting.
The Johnnies got the jump on the home team in the early going, charging out to a 7-0 lead on a Shawn Block three-pointer, two free throws by Cody Green and a layup from Riley Cannon. Fredericktown had turnovers on their first two possessions.
But following a time out, the Freddies rallied behind senior post Thomas Hinkle, who scored the game's next five points and helped Fredericktown tie the score at 11 after one quarter. Hinkle had seven of the Freddies' 11 points in the period.
Tyler Hathaway and Austin Updike scored the first five points of the second quarter to help the Freddies take their first lead of the game, but Cannon and Riley Smith led Johnstown on a 6-0 run to recapture the lead, 17-16, with 45 seconds left in the half.
After a Johnstown time out, Hathaway hit a jumper off a Hinkle assist with 30 seconds left to put the Freddies ahead at the half.
But The Freddies came out for the second with their defense clicking. Fredericktown stopped Johnstown on their first four trips down the floor, and benefited from a technical foul on the Johnnies' bench.
Fredericktown's offense, meanwhile, proceeded on a 6-0 run -- all on free throws by Hinkle and Hathaway -- in the first four minutes of the third quarter to take the lead for good.
Johnstown held the lead at eight points, 32-24, after the third quarter, and cut the deficit to five points, 34-29, early in the fourth after two Cannon free throws and a three from Chad Fuller with 5:55 to play.
But the Freddies allowed nothing else. Fredericktown went on a 9-0 run in the final 5:17 of the contest as the Johnnies missed their final seven shots of the game.
Hinkle led all scorers with 22 points and added three rebounds for Fredericktown. Hathaway added seven points with two steals, and freshman Ryan Logan added six points, three boards and a game-high four assists. Garrett Gatton also had four points and a game-high seven rebounds.
Cannon topped the Johnstown scorers with 10 points, adding six boards, two steals and a pair of blocked shots, but was in foul trouble much of the evening, eventually fouling out late in the final quarter. Block finished with six points, including his trey, and pitched in three rebounds and two steals.